Animal I Have Become
by hichigomate
Summary: Song-fic to the song Animal I Have Become. Zero struggles with his darker side, lashing out at anyone, and Kaname is sick of his complaints. He decides to show Zero what a real monster is.


**Animal I Have Become**

By: Hichigomate

**Warnings**: This fic deals with slight carnage, the darker side of the human race, or in this case the not-so-human race. As for the normality of my writings when dealing with yaoi? Yes, that does indeed show itself as well, between Kaname and Zero, and although at first it starts out non-con, trust me by the end it's consentual. Oh, and heavy language.

**Disclaimer**: Vampire Knight does not belong to me. Hell, none of the manga or anime belongs to me either; I get my fix off the internet and other people's stories which, I will tell you know, there are quite a few interesting ones out there. Good job guys. But no, it belongs to the quite wonderful mind of Matsuri Hino.

**A/N**: Huh. Well, where did this story come about? I'd just finished watching this weird movie about a Japanese man standing trial for a murder he didn't commit with a journalist reflecting on his life and a few cavorts with said man's wife before she was married, and the very end of _A Knight's Tale_. Honestly, I was just jotting down good songs that would make for good song-fics and this came up and, since the song's on a CD of mine I typed up the lyrics. Actually, I was going to make this for Inuyasha but after rereading the lyrics I figured they seemed to fit Zero a little better. Hope ya'll agree with me on that.

**Song**: Obviously, the song is _Animal I Have Become_ by Three Days Grace, I believe. It's always been a favorite of mine although it induces images of Kirby because I played that game for like three days straight listening to this CD. Ahaha...ahem. Anyway, the song, in my humble opinion, fits quite a few anime/manga out there so I had a bit to choose from...and I chose Vampire Knight. It just...yeah, let's hope you enjoy it.

**Reviews**: Even though this story is technically finished, that doesn't mean I won't welcome any and all reviews you guys might feel free to leave. I enjoy very much hearing how people like or dislike my writings, especially since I know I'm far from perfect and need any good mind you, criticism you feel free to offer.

_I can't escape this hell._

_So many times I've tried._

_But I'm still caged inside._

_Somebody get me through this nightmare._

_I can't control myself!_

The sound of his own harsh pants was the first thing he became aware of when he regained consciousness. The smell of old, dried blood assaulted his senses next, making him reel back in horror and hunger _What had he done? What happened last that he couldn't remember?_ His mind was a blank slate; he couldn't remember anything before just waking up and leaving that stupid party last night held at the dorms.

This wasn't good. Nothing was good when it came on the heels of a blackout, less so for him. He hoped he hadn't attacked anyone in the night; maybe he'd waited too long as he'd done before instead of going to visit Kuran Kaname for his pure blood.

"Dammit..." Zero struck himself in the thigh, relishing the pain his fist caused and secretly hoping it would help rouse what had transpired before. But nothing surfaced, nothing but the odd creamy taste in his mouth his mind flinched away from. Lilac eyes opened, twitching down to stare at hands with a pinker tint to them than was normal. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He struck himself again and again, his nails lengthening into sharp claws to tear away at his jeans and flesh as his anger brought out the sleepier, darker side of him.

_**Blood....I want more blood.**_ The dark whisper invaded his mind, haunting the darkest corners he couldn't reach with his sanity. A promise, a threat. Bringing with it a certainty of death. It was the face of the devil, beautiful in its sound but evil in its purpose.

Zero flinched and pushed himself away physically, as if he could shove himself away from the vampire he'd become in the past years. "Shut up!" The wall stopped his retreat; he collapsed against the wood, his eyes closed once more as he trembled, trying to bring his control back. It was in tatters, making him feel as if he was just moments away from losing it all and letting the animal break free.

_**I want it! IwantitIwantitIwantit!**_ The voice was furious now, demanding what was constantly denied it for so long. It had barely been able to gorge itself before, barely able to slate the terrible hunger that grabbed hold of it. It needed more.

"Shut the hell up!" He shouted, clawing at his temples as if he could remove the voice himself that way.

"Zero-kun? Is something wrong?" That soft voice was Yuuki, probably woken up this early by his own ranting. She knocked on the door quietly, turning the knob to see if it was unlocked. "Do you want me to get you something, Zero-kun?"

He resisted the answer immediately apparent in his mind-blood-and coughed, hoping to rid his voice of the rasp brought on by his more violent urges. "I'm fine, Yuuki; go back to bed." He clutched at his heart, feeling it begin to pound as the smell of that red liquid beneath the girl's skin wafted through the door, tantalizing his nose. _So close...so sweet...just one taste...._

"Are you sure? I can-"

He cut her off, his voice dropping to almost a growl at the thought of her coming in to "help." "Just go the hell away, Yuuki! I don't need you here!" He heard her soft gasp, smelled the salty tears that gathered in her eyes, but he couldn't make himself feel remorse at having to be sharp with her. If she came to him now he'd tear into her, not those swift, gentle feedings she gave him every few weeks but really feed, draining her until she was limp within his arms....

_Pale, white skin, black hair caressed by the snow, a cream dress stained red by the blood flowing freely from her pierced neck. No more raspy breaths broken by sobs of pain to reach his ears and delight him to a more frantic frenzy, no small hands grasping at his shoulders in a futile attempt to dislodge his fangs. That horrid throb of hunger in his fangs would finally lesson with each deep pull and she would feel him, deep inside her as he drew her very soul into his body. Her eyes would dim and she would fall slowly into the darkness called death, a woman who freely, foolishly offered her life to a vampire._

Zero growled and clutched at his skull, fingers tearing at his hair in an attempt to banish the vision from his mind. That wasn't him, he didn't do it! He didn't do anything! It was the other, his-instincts in control that took her life, even though she wanted it! It wasn't his fault. "It wasn't my fault; please, it wasn't my fault."

But he knew the truth, just as the vampire did. No matter which side was in control and no matter which side was caged, they had both done the deed. It was his fangs that had pierced the necks of scores of people, his claws that had held them closer when they fought to get away, and his mind that pushed them into compliance.

You can't escape the animal within, no matter how hard you try.

_So what if you can see._

_The dark inside of me._

_No one will ever change this animal I have become!_

_Help me believe._

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody held me tame this animal._

He felt their stares as he walked among them, new exactly what they were thinking even though their barriers were among the best erected. They knew he was different, a failure, a low-level _inferior creature_ who had no right to life. They knew the truth and they wanted him kept away from their precious "Kaname-sama," the ruler of these...disgusting beings. He let a smirk cross his face, turning so they could all see it. It wasn't like he wanted to be here; Kaname himself had come to him with this proposition. He hated it, wanted nothing to do with it, but this was the only way to keep the animal leashed inside of him, that he could remain in control.

Aidou stood outside the room he needed to enter, keeping vigil, watching, waiting. A useless endeavor; Zero knew the pureblood was aware of everything that happened around him and needed no watch dog. But it must keep them happy to think they did a good job. "Move aside. I have business with Kuran." His voice brooked no argument; it wasn't the voice of the vampire but damn near close, and the fingers straying to the Bloody Rose gun inside his shirt helped matters as well.

Aidou glared at him and retorted, "You aren't wanted here, Kiryuu. I suggest you go back where you came from. This is for purebloods only."

Zero's smile turned cold as he drew the gun out and pointed it directly at the heart of the vampire. "Then why are you here, Aidou?"

For all he claimed to be laid-back and carefree, nothing bothering him, this was too close to home to ignore. Aidou crouched, fangs down and in full force as he prepared to attack the filthy mongrel in front of him. But the door behind him opened and a voice like ice stopped him in his tracks.

"Stand down, Aidou-kun. I did not give you the order to attack and if you were to attack Kiryuu right now, you would make me very angry." Kuran Kaname, in all his pureblood glory and calmness stepped out of his room, auburn eyes immediately stopping and holding amethyst orbs. "Kiryuu. I was beginning to think you would wait a month again."

Zero sniffed and stepped over Aidou to enter the room in front of Kaname, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. He didn't say anything but then, he didn't need to. Kaname's senses were sharper than his own.

The pureblood stepped close to him after closing and locking his door, sniffing along his neck and chin. "I see. You lost control last night because you waited too long, and figured it was finally time to come back to me. You are so pathetic." The brunette easily dodged the hand striking out at him, just as easily catching thin arms and pinning them against the wall, shoving himself close to thath lithe body and getting up close and personal to the Level D vampire. "It's true, Zero." He hissed angrily, not just angry at the Day Class student for ignoring the needs of his body but also angry at himself for allowing the defiance to go on as long as it had. "Admit it, if only in your mind. You can't control your instincts by yourself; you need me whether you want to or not. If you didn't fight-" He grunted at the sudden head-butt, wincing and shaking off the effects. "If you didn't fight me so much then you wouldn't keep waking up with blood in your mouth and your memories wiped." He saw the sudden realization in those reddened orbs, nodding slowly. "That's right. You become worse than an animal when it's all over, Kiryuu, much worse, howling and wailing and tearing at your own skin as if you can't bear to live." He would never admit, not to anyone, the terror he himself felt each time he watched Zero fall deeper and deeper into madness with each senseless kill, the helplessness he felt at arriving too late on the scene with nothing to do but make sure he didn't remember the details. It would destroy him.

"You-you-! Kuran, I despise you!" Zero sputtered, for lack of anything else to say as his mind whirled, not just from the information but from the delectable scent so close, calling to him, _whispering_.

Kaname turned away, bearing his neck, but not before the other vampire caught the flash of sadness that overwhelmed the auburn in his eyes, as out of place as a smile would have been. Furious, disheartened, saddened, perhaps joyful-all of these emotions he felt as he dropped his barriers, exerting his will over Zero as he tore through his shields, not allowing him any time to notice and understand what was happening. When he had full control he released the chains, unleashing the animal and forcing his neck close to let it feed. The barest flinch when those canines pierced his flash before it turned to mild pleasure, the disgust at himself and this beast, the regret as he released his hold on Zero's consciousness.

He felt it all and there was nothing to do about it. He pretended to ignore the scalding drops of liquid dropping just centimeters from his torn flesh, refusing to acknowledge the way Zero's emotions overwhelmed him during the feeding. He didn't speak, didn't touch the other, even in reassurance.

**"This changes nothing, Kuran. Nothing!"** Zero growled against him, unable to relinquish his treat so the words vibrated against Kaname's throat.

"I know." He whispered back, closing his eyes. _I know. Even if neither of us believe it._

_I can't escape myself._

_So many times I've lied._

_But there's still rage inside._

_Somebody get me through this nightmare._

_I can't control myself._

The room was still now, quiet, the air reaking of blood and sweat. His teeth still had remnants of blood on them but he didn't lick it away; he couldn't stand the way he'd just acted. Kaname was right; he was lower than any animal out there. He was disgusting, both sides of him. His only consolation was that the vampire in him was quiet, sleeping off the effects that purest blood had on him. It was so delicious...he shivered, staving off the newest bout of hunger that assailed him at even the _thought_ of blood. God, he despised himself even more than Kaname.

"Are you feeling better now, Kiryuu?" Kaname wasn't even breathing hard, one hand held over where just moments earlier his neck had been torn open, using a rag to clean off excess blood. Really, why Zero couldn't just lick that up too was beyond him.

"...Fine." He didn't say any more. He wasn't battling with himself anymore but nothing could douse the feelings that rose up inside him. It was like a never-ending nightmare that he was trapped in, he and Kaname the stars in the horror show. What was so wrong with wanting to live normally? Why did his body have to reject the blood tablets?!

Kaname sighed and stepped close to Zero, kneeling before where he lay slumped against the wall, a favorite position of his whether he'd just finished feeding or was up late at night, he'd found. He still didn't move to touch him but rather willed the other to look at him, to acknowledge what had happened between them in some way, even if the only thing he felt was rage. "Zero. You have nothing to be ashamed of; this is your nature, our nature. You can't control it, none of us can. You can only stave off the animal with regular feedings."

A black rage tore through Zero as he shot up, angrily pushing Kaname onto his back as he crouched above him, a snarl shaping his lips. "Don't patronize me, Kaname! You don't understand what I go through everyday! You, you act so high and mighty and above everybody else like you don't have a fucking care in the world. Well, you don't know shit! Blood, blood blood, every fucking second my mind is screaming for blood, even now when I've just drank so much I want to puke! You don't know what I go through just to get up every morning, to act normal around people like Yuuki, hell even to you I have to keep up appearances!"

A hard fist pounded Kaname's shoulder but he ignored it, intent on the feelings coming through Zero since he hadn't put his shields back up yet. He'd felt something to be sure, a modicum of what Zero was going through but even then he hadn't had any clue. Zero was right in a way; none of the vampires he knew had it this bad when dealing with their hunger. It was...intense.

Zero choked on his words and bowed his head, his shoulders shaking with something other than rage. Great, first he lost control of his hunger and now his emotions! Kaname was right; he was completely pathetic! It was no wonder everyone avoided him like the plague; he was a fucking nutcase.

It was time he stepped in, Kaname decided when he felt that particular bout of depression.

_So what if you can see._

_The dark inside of me._

_No one will ever change this animal I have become._

_Help me believe._

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame this animal I have become._

_Help me believe._

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame this animal._

"I will not allow you to think that way, Zero." Kaname forced out, leaning up and making Zero fall into his lap to avoid colliding his chin with his head. When those lilac eyes blinked up at him in confusion, their surfaces suspiciously more wet than normal, the barest hint of a growl escaped and he leaned closer. "That is enough. I let this pity party of yours continue in the hopes that you'd finally let go of this ghost causing you to mope around all the time but it appears you hold on to things a lot longer than I thought. Suck it up and get over it."

Those eyes flashed with anger now, one drop of water escaping and cascading down his cheek but the rest burned up.

"Shut up." Kaname hissed before he could even say a word, his own eyes turning dangerous as he let his control slip some inches, preparing to show Zero just how "worthless" and "animal-esque" he was. "You had your time to speak and now it's mine. You think you're a dog? I am going to show you what a real animal is like and you're going to live to regret it." A twinge of anticipation made his nerves jump, his arms twitch as he reached out and hauled Zero bodily from his lap, twisting to force him to the ground as he languidly crawled over top of him.

"W-what are you doing, Kuran? Snap out of it!" Zero hissed right back, twisting and turning on his own to escape the cage of limbs he was held in, trying to get up, not at all liking the light he saw in Kaname's eyes. If anything it actually _scared_ him.

"I believe I told you to **shut up**." In those two words the pureblood injected some of his power, rendering Zero unable to move so allow him the freedom to do what he wanted. It even muzzled the ex-human; he saw the understanding cloud in his counterparts eyes as they widened, smelling the fear that tainted his scent as he realized that he was in over his head. "Good; you get it now. I told you, by the end of this you will know what a monster really is...and what you really are and aren't."

Zero watched in mounting terror and morbid fascination as Kaname leaned closer, mouth opening to reveal fangs elongated due either to his release of control or-he noticed as his eyes, the only free part of his body, descended to below Kaname's waist-arousal. Whatever the reason they clanked harshly against his own teeth as his mouth was suddenly full of another's tongue, feeling its abnormal length slither to practically the back of his throat. He tensed up, wanting to shake the other free but he was still frozen, held at the mercy of one provoked too far.

Kaname knew he should say something, provide at least the barest hint of comfort but he was fast losing himself in the taste of his own rich blood and what was purely Zero, the spice of anger and hints of citrus-an odd combination. He tilted his head to devour his mouth even more, as if trying to force himself inside the warm cavern. His hands clasped thin shoulders, pushing the hunter further into the ground as he sought to move closer. Their torsos brushed, just a quick touch, and his senses came alive, absorbing Zero's taste, feel, scent into his pores. Gods, he'd been waiting for this without even knowing he was waiting. His quiet groan became a growl of possession as he shifted closer, dropping his knees to feel them connected in any way.

Zero's eyes impossibly widened farther, his thoughts spiraling out of control. _I can feel-shit, I can feel his dick! He's got it pressing against my hip!_

Kaname heard his thoughts and grinned against his mouth, drawing back and flicking out his tongue to catch the drops of blood escaping from where his fangs had brushed and broken soft skin. Deliberately he rubbed himself against Zero, listening as his thoughts short-circuted. "That's right, Zero. You feel me against you, hot, _throbbing_, anticipating the moment I can thrust this deep inside you-" Here he paused to mimic the action, twisting his hips to the side so when he actually thrust he pushed directly onto Zero's lap, making him stiffen and give an unmanly like squeal in his mind. He smirked and did it again; this time the silver vampire began to pant slightly as his eyes turned a darker color, his pupils beginning to dilate. "-again and again, over and over until you're done screaming for me to stop and instead begging me to continue." Again the scent of fear permeating the air. "Don't worry, Zero; it will only hurt for a little while. It'll be just like when I sink my fangs into you."

Without giving Zero a chance to register his words he leaned down to ravish his mouth again, hooking his fangs in those just beginning their descent as he rubbed his hardness sensuously against Zero's to encourage his reaction. He heard more than felt claws coming out to scrape against the floor and smelled the vampire close to the surface; he withdrew his power pinning Zero's hips to feel him moving against him as he heard the verbal echoes of pleasure just starting to circulate in that bare mind.

_Ungh. Ngh! Mnng.._ Zero grunted with each slow, hard thrust, not sure if he enjoyed the feel of the hard, cold zipper and his boxers rubbing against sensitive flesh even as his body became accustomed to it. This was Kaname, for gosh sakes! The stoic pureblood who offered his blood, who liked _Yuuki_! Why was he doing this! Why-his thoughts were cut short when Kaname snarled against his lips and slashed away his pants and boxers, his own somehow disappearing down his legs. On the next thrust it was just skin against pure skin and his mind blanked out, struck by the dry friction that almost hurt. _Aah!_ It wasn't a screech, dammit it _wasn't a screech!_

Kaname was sick with all the denials. He wanted Zero to remember who he was with, what they were doing! Forgetting for the moment he was supposed to be teaching the hunter a different lesson on who was the real animal-not that he still wouldn't be getting that message, just in a different way-he tore himself away from that heavenly mouth, snapping the string of saliva still connecting them and watching in fascination as it slapped against Zero's cheek. He drew himself back, sitting back on his haunches as he languidly stroked himself, admiring the way fear slowly creeped into those lilac eyes as all sorts of imaginings popped into that fast-paced mind. He let a dark grin slip past. "No Zero, I won't violate your mouth...yet. I'm too interested in what else you're going to give me." A claw sliced his own finger and without warning he plunged it into Zero, all the way to the knuckle, ignoring the shriek and agonized cry from his uke.

Zero tried to move but his limbs were still frozen and all he felt was fire trailing up from his ass, a bigger burn when he felt another finger plunge inside him. It was sticky with blood, warm, but unusual and he didn't want this! He tried to open his mouth to say so-or rather, shout-but he couldn't and he only saw Kaname, one arm twisted awkwardly to "prepare" Zero and the other sliding slowly back and forth over his own member, drawing out his own precum for make-shift lube. He didn't care this time that Zero would hurt either way but even too-dry thrusts would be painful for him.

The prince looked down at Zero, his face abnormally flushed and his eyes agonized and wet but at least it was from pain caused by him. This was all from him. Zero was thinking about nothing but what he wanted him to think about, finally, and he relished it. Deciding he was done with waiting, listening to his own dark side whine for more, to taste and feel that tight heat surrounding him like a glove and take him as rough as he wanted, Kaname pushed himself onto his knees and took Zero's thighs, pulling them up until his feet rested on the floor and pushing them wide. He removed his fingers, lined himself up and held still just to see the confusion, horror, and slight arousal flash in Zero's eyes, before he removed his spells and plunged inside to the hilt.

Nails scrabbled at the ground in a futile attempt to relieve the scalding burn that remained after the initial thrust. A back bowed as hips tried to move away from the brutal invasion but they had nowhere to go, forced against the ground as they were. Toes curled on the ground, legs twitched violently in fingers holding so tight they were white. A harsh scream, hoarse with the pain, cut through the air, shattering the silence like glass and startling the vampires just outside the room. They moved as if to enter the room, to confront the smell of blood and maybe offer assistance but Kaname'd placed a barrier around the room and none could enter.

Auburn turned to crimson as the animal inside finally took complete control.

_  
Somebody help me through this nightmare.  
I can't control myself._

_Somebody wake me from this nightmare._

_I can't escape this hell._

_This animal._

_This animal._

_This animal._

_This animal._

_This animal._

_This animal._

_This animal._

Zero grunted quietly against the floor, his forehead pressed hard against his palms with every forceful thrust. Hours ago it he'd been pulled onto his hands and knees, his body barely able to handle the strain and collapsing farther onto his elbows and hands. He'd been taken on his back, on his stomach, on his knees and with his knees around Kaname's head. He'd felt the rush of the pureblood's semen pulsing and shooting inside him quite a few times before the burn of his violation faded and he'd begun to enjoy the thick cock tunneling its way inside him, rubbing his walls and pressing insistently against something inside him that made him shiver and ache wantonly. His own member brushed tantalizingly against the floor as his knees scraped and drew blood, the scent further making him want more. And his vampire side didn't help matters either, begging for more, for approval for submitting to the more powerful vampire, for a harder fucking and for more blood.

_God, I'm so sick._ Right on the heels of that thought he groaned loudly, ending in another harsh scream as Kaname drew his head back and bared his fangs, pressing them threateningly against his pulse as his thrusts got longer and harder, punishment for daring to even think something other than vocal pleasure. He'd also discovered that little tidbit, that that's what this was, a punishment, a lesson, a claiming. He was beyond caring; his body was one giant ache, the good and the bad kind, and his mind was turning to liquid goo with every climax Kaname brought himself to and every thrust that pushed him slowly towards what he felt had to be his own.

Kaname growled, laving his tongue to that pulse, feeling the blood surging beneath the skin and his fangs throb eve more than his body with wanting what others considered was tainted. He wanted it so much and he knew Zero needed it; even now his thoughts of _so close, so close-God, why can't I reach it, come on, please!_ were pressing against his brain and urging him to fulfill that wish. Murmuring something unintelligable he withdrew, smirking at Zero's rather loud protest and hips jerking back for him to continue. He flipped the other over again, eyes immediately attracted to the blood smeared on his cut knees and elbows and even backs of his hands, then his proud cock, straining up towards him and thick with rich blood and hot semen. Even now it dripped, thick pearly drops that cascaded down to drip into coarse silvery hairs at its base. Tempted, Kaname leaned down and licked up a drop, then another, scowling at the not-to-pleasant taste.

Zero choked on his own saliva and immediately grasped his head, fingers tangling in that messy hair and shoving his head down, closer to his erection to feel that rough tongue again, anywhere, everywhere. Desire had flashed so strongly he'd lost himself, was still lost, just needing this all to end before he died from too much.

A vicious snarl ripped from the pure vampire's throat at the thought of his uke trying his hand at dominance and he reared up, his very visage an avenging warrior with his crimson eyes and wet mouth open and revealing deadly fangs, his face more animal than human. His hands twisted and grasped Zero's, slamming them against the floor with enough force to break the bones in a normal human's hands as he entered him again in a thrust as brutal as the first. He saw Zero's mouth open, his throat work to voice something-pain, pleasure-so he went down, capturing his throat just above his adam's apple and piercing his fangs as deeply as he pierced his body.

_"Ggh-ngh.."_ Zero whimpered, his throat trying to move but immobile due to fangs, saliva collecting in his mouth and trailing out the sides. He felt his blood being pulled up, out, sucked dry but he could only think _more, take more, take it all!_ It felt as if he were being torn in two Kaname was going so hard but it only felt like pleasure to him. He was fast plummeting towards that mind-shattering moment, moving faster than he'd been before; there was just something so _erotic_ about having his blood sucked at the moment he was being taken.

Kaname moaned in his mind at the taste of hormonally-laced blood, so rich and powerful, so delicious-hot, wet, creamy, thick, creating a bond between them that went past straining bodies. Immediately his mind sought out, catching Zero's, bridging the gap between them for a contact that went so deep he felt it in his very core. He closed his eyes and just felt, projecting himself all around Zero, in him in every possible way, and felt the way pleasure seemed to rip through the other's body like lightening. One last drag, pulling his fangs out and lapping at the marks, marking him for all eternity....

Zero's eyes shot open but they were sightless, his limbs locked up as the most indescribable feeling coursed through his veins. His legs shot around Kaname's hips to pull him deeper, feeling his pulsing erection rub against that toned chest. It went on and on, his whole body stiff as everything coiled, preparing for the huge explosion that escaped his body via long hard bursts that actually hurt when they pushed semen from his tip and landed in scalding spots on his chest. His voice was reduced to gutteral moans and whines of ecstacy, his mind completely at the mercy of his mate's. He was virtually empty.

Said mate growled contentedly against his throat, sucking at his skin to leave a large bruise in the most awkward and visible of places: right on his adam's apple. He felt that already unbearably tight entrance twitch and spasm more with each suck and sighed, releasing the skin so he could capture those eyes, making sure that when Zero got his vision back, he was the first thing seen. He waited only moments, just rolling his hips since the hunter was clutching him so tightly he couldn't draw himself out, before letting go and jerking himself foreword, releasing his essence so deep into Zero he'd feel it for days with a growl and his of his possession.

This was his claiming, the animal marking it's mate. And now they both knew it.

_So what if you can see._

_The dark inside of me._

_No one will ever change this animal I have become.  
Help me believe._

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame this animal I have become._

_Help me believe._

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame this animal._

_This animal I have become._

When Zero regained consciousness he was laying alone on the pureblood's bed, covered simply by his jacket and a few layers of cold, dried sweat and his own pleasure. He blinked wearily and looked around; surely even Kaname wouldn't have left just like that.

"I was just taking a shower. You look...thoroughly fucked." Said vampire murmured crudely, taking note of the spark of dry pleasure that spiked when he swore. Interesting. But not enough to rouse his interest fully, not yet at least. "So do you understand now, Zero? I know exactly what you go through every day. You think your dark side is bad? Well you just tumbled with my own animal. Tell me, do you still believe you're the worst type of creature alive?"

Zero blinked again and turned his head away, a petulant action he knew but he couldn't help it. "You could have just told me every vampire has to deal with it, you know." He muttered; dammit, his whole body was sore! How was he supposed to walk?!

Kaname walked over and leaned down to pull his head back; his eyes were auburn again. Zero wouldn't admit that he felt relief at seeing that; he wasn't sure he could contend with that animal again. "Would you have really accepted the explanation in all its simplicity? I don't believe so." He shoved away, picking the hunter up and ignoring his protests as he walked steadily towards the bathroom, dumping him into the tub already filled with scorching hot water. "Bathe and then go back to your rooms; you need more rest than you just got. Come back tomorrow for a feeding; I refuse to allow you to wallow in self-pity if you lose control again. And Zero-" He watched the hunter freeze in the act of sitting back to relax, staring up at him with only a hint of fear and a lot of defiance. "If you don't come to me, I will find you, and you won't enjoy it-I promise you that." He left Zero shivering in tub at that dark threat.

It looks like they both found someone to tame the beast inside. Whether that was a good thing or bad remained to be seen, however, and he planned to see it through till the end.

**xx**

_So tell me: is the true animal the one on the inside that each of us battle everyday, or the person who's closest to us on the outside, watching, waiting for the chance to strike at our weakness?_


End file.
